


Ironclad

by lapsus_linguae



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bodyswap, Jötunn Loki, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-03 14:37:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4104511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lapsus_linguae/pseuds/lapsus_linguae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(on hiatus bc college sucks and i can only work on one thing at a time...)<br/>“My magic is in me! And I’m in you!” He said, and Tony ignored the innuendo for a moment because the crushing realization of; holy shit, Loki doesn’t have his magic! And; holy shit, I have Loki’s magic, were simultaneously too much to bear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not Even Top Ten

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my first ever fic! Fair warning, unbeta'd and WIP.  
> Hope you enjoy!

     An alarm barked weakly for a moment, before it was disrupted by the chorus of _Highway to Hell_ blaring loudly through the speakers. Tony lifted his head from where he was poured over the data from Loki’s scepter.

     “Hey, J, could’ja maybe stop that?” He shouted over the music. Nothing happened. _Seriously_ … “Hey, Jar! Kill the music!” He said, a little louder this time. It stopped.

     “I was under the impression that you liked this song.” He froze. No. _Impossible_. He spun around on his chair and was met with the smirking face of the Trickster God.

     “Jarvis?” He said again, and looked around the room. The blue data that should have surrounded him was gone.

     “I couldn’t have him interrupt us.” Loki said, running a hand along his armour-clad arm. He was in the full get-up. Minus the horns. Tony was still for a moment. So no Jarvis. He spread his fingers, behind him, waiting for his gauntlet. After a few tense moments, nothing happened. Great. No Jarvis, and no suit.

     “Here for that drink?” He asked, standing and leaning against a table and smiling. No defense against a god, he wasn't going to die rolled over on his belly. Loki smiled.

     “Tempting,” He said slowly, coming closer. Tony refused to flinch. “But that will have to wait.” Tony clenched his jaw as Loki came to stand in front of the scepter.

     “Here for the glo-stick then? I’m crushed.” He said, faux-hurt. “And here I thought you you were here to see ol’ Tony.” The God smiled, and that was somehow more terrifying than any other expression Tony had ever seen.

     “Make no mistake, mortal. I am here for you, too.” He grabbed the scepter, and smiled as he slowly spun it in his hands. “I see you have lost your light since last I saw you.” He said, not looking up from his scepter.

     “Lost my- oh. You mean the arc reactor.” He said, his hand coming to his chest subconsciously. Helen had done a great job restoring the tissue, but he would swear that there was a scar. “

     Indeed.” He said shortly, his head flicking up to look at Tony, grin still spread on his lips. “And now you are just like everyone else.” He said, grin turning cruel. Tony laughed.

     “I am Iron Man, there’s only one me, baby.” He said grinning, and saw Loki’s eyes narrow at the endearment before his usual cocky grin came back in place. Hu. That could come in handy.

     “I have been looking forward to this,” Loki said, coming closer, wielding the scepter. Tony stared at the glo-stick, and for a long moment, all he could think was oh, shit. And then, the tip of the scepter touched his chest, and suddenly he felt like he was falling. A feeling he was well acquainted with. After a moment, his vision came barreling back to him, and he found himself on the floor.

     He moaned, and it sounded weird. Something was in his hand, and his clothes felt odd. His hair was touching his shoulders. A feeling he hadn't felt since losing a bet in the 90’s. He looked up... and saw himself. He jumped back, and tripped over his own legs.

     He witnessed himself stand awkwardly, and look down. Horror spread over his own face. “No…” He heard himself say, falling back slightly and gripping the table. Tony stood up, and saw green and black leather. He looked up and stared at his reflection in one of the darkened glass windows, and saw Loki’s face staring back at him.

     “Am I…” He said, faltering as he realized, oh God, that’s his voice! He saw his own face glare fiercely at him.

     “You are in my body.” The Loki-in-Tony’s-body said. And Tony couldn’t help it, but he laughed at the sound of his own voice in a british accent. Loki didn’t find it very funny, if his expression was anything to go by. Tony stood up straighter, and looked at the glo-stick. Loki looked at it as well. He pointed it at the God, who reared back slightly.

     “Put me back!” He said darkly, and even with an American accent, Loki’s voice sounded serious-as-hell. Loki flared his nostrils. He did nothing for a few moments, seemingly trying to compose himself.

     “I can’t.” He said shortly, and Tony flailed a little bit. The expression was a little more pronounced than he was used to, he had a whole lot more arm length now.

     “What do you mean you can’t?” He said, a little hoarse. Loki let out a frustrated noise.

     “My magic is in me! And I’m in you!” He said, and Tony ignored the innuendo for a moment because the crushing realization of holy shit, Loki doesn’t have his magic and holy shit I have Loki’s magic were simultaneously too much to bear.

     “Can I change us back?” Tony asked, and Loki glared at him.

     “What? It’s a valid question.” He said, still not used to his voice.

     “You have a mortal mind, you cannot possibly-” He was cut off as a blast of untamed energy snapped from Tony’s fingertips. Both of them froze, staring at his hand. A grin started to spread on Tony’s lips, and Loki’s eyes widened in horror.

     “Wait!.” He heard his accented voice say, and Tony paused long enough for him to say “It is as if you were put into the body of a talented athlete. Your body knows the movements, but your mind does not.” Tony stared at him for a few moments.

     “It’s magic. It can’t be that hard.” He said, staring at his hands again. An angry almost hissing sound came from Loki, and Tony thought that’s not a good look for me. “Woah there Freaky Friday,” He said, “Cool it, I don’t want that look to be on my face permanently.” Loki continued to glare.

     “It took me centuries to master what I know! You would sooner incinerate us both than do anything remotely useful.” He growled, glaring again. Tony paused, reconsidering the urge to try something.

     “And you can’t just use magic in my body?” He asked, and Loki frowned, and lifted his palms up, flat and open. He seemed to be concentrating really hard. Tony leaned back, hopping up onto the table behind him, and balancing on the table. “Don’t hurt yourself, baby-cakes.” He said, just as a barely-there flicker of red light flickered above Loki’s hands, and immediately disappeared. Loki glared at Tony, who was completely non-apologetic about distracting him. Seriously, had he known some endearments could put him off his game so much, he would have played out his time in the tower with him a little differently.

     “It seems I am in the opposite position.” He said, the British accent still sounding so weird on his voice. “I am the athlete put in the child’s body.” He said, looking at Tony’s body as if it had personally offended him.

     “Watch it there, Rock of Ages, I work really hard to look like that,” He said gesturing at his own body. Which was… strange.

     “I’m sure.” Was all Loki said in response, he had put his palms up again, and was presumably working on bringing the flame back to his hands.

     “So.” Tony said, bringing his knees up to sit cross-legged, he was pleased to find Loki’s body was quite flexible. “What now?” He said, looking at the scepter where it rested, balanced on his legs. “How long until you figure that one out?” He asked, leaning back on his palms. Loki glared at him. _That’s getting old_ , he thought.

     “I’m not sure.” He said, pausing, “It took years for my body to learn how to channel Yggdrasil.” He said, still staring at his hands.

     “Years?!” Tony said, sliding back off of the table in an awkward tumble of legs and arms. He didn’t realize it, but in his horror, he had incinerated a few of the papers surrounding them. Loki leveled him with a glare.

     “Calm yourself before you break something.” He said harshly. This time Tony glared back.

     “Well I don’t have years, Reindeer Games! I need to be back in my body as of yesterday.” He said, gripping the staff tightly. “Make with the magic, Potter!” Loki frowned.

     “Are you dying?” He asked, and Tony huffed. “I’m a mortal.” He said roughly. “And I have a party in a few days, and I can’t show up as the man who tried to destroy New York!” He said, starting to yell by the time he reached the end of his sentence. There were a few moments of tense silence.

     “I don’t know what to tell you.” Was the oddly honest admission. Tony slipped back down to the floor, leaning against the table. When he looked at his hands, he jerked as he realized they started to turn an intense and bright blue.

     “Ah, Loki?” He said panicked as the blue began to slide up his hands further. A choked sound came from the God. “Care to explain what’s going on?!” He said, the blue settling in deeper.

     “Your mind doesn’t care to assimilate… You’re reverting back to your… my... bodies natural state,” He said.

     “What. The. Fuck. Are you talking about!?” He said, his whole body now circled in the blue. “Is it going to hurt me?” He asked, and Loki laughed

     “No. It is only my body returning to its true form.” He said,

     “And your true form is a Smurf?” He yelled, and Loki sneered.

     “I am an Ice Giant.” He said lowly, and Tony huffed.

     “You’re not that tall.” He argued. And Loki laughed mirthlessly.

     “I am a runt among my kind.” He said, “I was not wanted.” He said that a lot quieter, and with a lot less sass. Tony frowned. He knew Loki was adopted. He didn’t know Loki was adopted from a different race.

     “I’m… sorry.” He said, because he didn’t know what else to say. Loki looked surprised for the barest of moments, before he looked away again.

     “That form will not hurt you. But I would refrain from touching anyone else.” He said warningly. Tony looked at his hands. Besides being blue and having… were those tattoos? He didn’t seem all that dangerous. He raised an eyebrow at Loki. “The touch of a Jotun can scar even the strongest Aesir warrior.” He said, staring at his own body with distaste. Tony slowly stood up, and stared at his reflection in the mirror. So his eyes were… red. That was unnerving, but certainly nothing he couldn’t get used to. The raised tattoos seemed to be symmetrically spread over his whole body, but otherwise it was just, well. Loki.

     “So if I touch, you, well. Me, I’ll become horribly disfigured?” Loki just nodded. There was a loud click, and suddenly blue light was everywhere, the holograms lit up again.

     “Sir,” Came from the speakers around the room, and Tony really didn’t know what to do for a moment. “You have a guest with energy signatures similar to Loki of Asgard.” Loki sneered.

     “Loki Laufeyson will suffice,” Loki said, and there was a pause from above.

     “...Sir?” It came out as a question, and Tony wanted to laugh. Tony had done accents for fun before, but they were never good, and never when he was below a .20 alcohol level.

     “We’ve got a situation, Jay.” Tony said, staring at Loki, who was now glaring at the ceiling. “Fifty-five, eight, four, five. Fifty-four, nine, three, eight. Gamma protocol.” He said, and there was a beat of silence.

     “You are in Mr. Laufeyson’s body, Sir?” Jarvis questioned, and Loki’s eyebrows raised.

     “You have protocol for that?” Loki queried, seeming at least slightly impressed. Tony smiled,

     “I have protocol for if I my consciousness ever got transferred into a different body. Not you specifically.” It had been one of the odder things that he ever asked Jarvis to set up, but he planned for all contingencies now. “Jay, does anyone know that we’re here?”

     “Mr. Laufeyson was able to temporarily disconnect my reach in the Tower, Sir, but not elsewhere. I alerted Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers, Mr. Odinson, Mr. Barton, and Mrs. Romanov that I had suddenly been cut off from the Tower, and you were the sole Avenger occupant.”

     “...And?” “And currently all but Mr. Barton are on their way here.” He said.

     “Fuck. Did you tell them anything else?”

     “Further instructions are pending your approval, Sir.”

     “ETA?” “Five minutes, Sir.”

     “Fuck.” Tony said, and Loki suddenly looked very nervous. “Alright Jafar, we’ve got to come up with a goddamn good explanation for this. Ideas?” Loki just glared back at him. “...Right.” He stared at his very blue hands. “Tell them everything is fine.”

     “Agent Romanov is requesting access, Sir.”

     “You said five minutes!”

     “She broke several laws getting here, Sir.” Tony made a slightly anguished noise, wishing very much that he was invisible.

     “Tony?!” Suddenly was yelled at him, in his own voice, with that goddamn accent.

     “What!” He hissed at Loki, who stared at his general direction with surprise.

     “You’re… invisible.” He said after a moment. The almost scared expression went away, replaced with wide eyes and more admiration in his tone that Tony would have ever thought possible. Tony looked down and saw pale, long fingered hands.

     “No..?” Loki sneered. Ah, there you are. “You are invisible to everyone else, you idiot.” There were three loud bangs on the door that sounded suspiciously like gunfire.

     “Agent Romanov has requested access, again, Sir.” Came the ever-calm tone.

     “Let her in.” Tony said, and the door slid open with a strained hiss.

     “Stark!” Came the immediate bark, and Natasha stalked into the room with her pistol drawn. She lowered it when she saw Tony just leaning against the table. Well, really it was Loki, but she didn’t know that.

     “Care to explain why Jarvis suddenly lost access to the entire building?” She asked, staring at Loki with a blank expression.

     “I remember you,” was the response, and Tony wanted to facepalm, because what was the point of him being invisible if he was going to just let them know? Agent Romanov raised an eyebrow at the accent. The pistol was slightly raised again.

     “You do?” Loki grinned, and wow, I can pull off a maniacal grin. Who knew?

     “Yes. A liesmith of impressive aptitude, especially among mortals.” He purred, and Tony really wasn’t aware he was capable of sounding like that.

     “Loki.” She said simply, and Loki’s grin began to resemble that of the Cheshire Cat.

     “Indeed.” He said, and Romanov’s pistol was suddenly aimed right between two brown eyes.

     “Where’s Tony.” She said, and somehow that question was less of a question and more of a demand. “He’s here.” Loki said, still smiling. Romanov came forward several steps. gun still leveled at his head. Tony really didn’t want to have his body be shot, and he began to will himself to be visible. He stood by Loki, and nothing happened.

     “Oh for- You can’t force magic. Let it happen.” Loki instructed, and Tony listened relaxing, as Romonov raised an eyebrow. To her credit, she hardly flinched when the very blue body of a homicidal God was suddenly two feet in front of her.

     “Woah there Red,” He said and Romonov’s eyes bored into his head. He forgot how frightening it is when that glare is centered on you.

     “Stark?” She asked, and Tony grinned,

     “At your service. But not really. My service costs way more than you can afford.” Romonov rolled her eyes and lowered his gun.

     “Jarvis?” She asked, still looking at Tony. He couldn’t blame her. He was over six feet of smurf. Who wouldn’t stare?

     “Yes, Agent Romonov?” He replied dutifully.

     “This is Tony?” She asked,

     “It appears so, Agent. He knew the correct protocol code.” He said, and Agent Romonov nodded shortly.

     “Why?” She said to Loki, not elaborating. Loki glared back.

     “It.. wasn’t intentional.” He admitted.

     “You mean you didn’t escape prison just so that you could experience what it was like to be Tony Stark even for a day?” He asked, feining incredulity. He got a pissed-off glare in response.

     “It took a lot of energy to get here. I underestimated how much it would take to use the scepter again. And here I am, stuck in his body.” Loki growled,

     “Hurtful.” Tony muttered.

     “And now Tony is in control of your magic?” She asked, and now it was Tony’s turn to grin.

     “Fun right?” Romanov gave him a deadpan look, and Loki sneered.

     “He is like a child with your weapon. He knows not how to use it!” He continued to glare at Tony. It was really wearing off in it’s effectiveness. Tony knew he didn’t have a naturally scary face.

     “So you don’t have any magic at all?” She asked Loki, who looked supremely pissed off.

     “This form does not have the current capacity for magic that mine does. It is like a muscle that you have to know how to stretch, and his has hardly ever been stretched.” There was a moment where Romanov just stared at the two of them.

     “And you are blue because?” Tony laughed, earning another glare from Loki. What? It’s kinda funny.

     “He’s a Frost Giant.” Tony said, then amended himself.

     “Well, I suppose right now I’m a Frost Giant.” Romanov said nothing in response to that. Tony attempted to lift himself onto the higher counter, which was proving to be a lot more difficult with a completely different center of gravity, and longer legs and longer… Well. Longer everything. Romanov let him struggle for a moment before sighing and pushing him up all the way.

     Tony shimmied, turned around, and saw Loki staring with amazement, and no small amount of confusion. Tony squirmed uncomfortably. “What Wide-Eyes?” He said, and then remembered what Loki had said about touching. He looked at Romomov, who appeared perfectly fine, if a little annoyed. “Liar-liar on the touchy-touchy?” He asked, and Loki frowned.

     “I was always told…” He looked angry now. Yep. Definitely getting old. “Of course they would lie to me! _Monster_ they think I am.” He quietly seethed to himself. He looked up at Tony, his own body, and reached out and grabbed Tony’s hand. The Avenger flinched slightly at the sudden movement, but didn’t pull his hand away. Jesus, was he always that warm? He felt very hot to the touch. But nothing happened after a few moments and Loki was still staring at the blue hand in his palm like he had never seen something more interesting in his life. Tony saw Romanov give a questioning look, and he briefly explained the situation to her, and she merely nodded.

     Then, of course, Bruce walks in.


	2. Delta Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm supposed to be studying...

     Tony saw Loki’s whole body tense, remembering the pain from their last meeting probably. And then, Tony tensed, because _he was Loki right now_! And Bruce didn’t know that. He felt himself turn invisible this time, it was like he was wrapping himself in a warm blanket.

     The move was oddly instinctual, an easy muscle-memory.

     Bruce had frozen in the doorway, unmoving. He looked down at the mug of tea in his hand with wide, concerned eyes.

     “Um. Was there just a blue guy on the counter holding hands with Tony?” He asked, and Agent Romanov approached him slowly, probably checking for any signs of his alter-ego’s appearance.

     “Yes.” She said, “Non-hostile, don’t worry big guy.” She said, grabbing the mug out of Bruce’s hands and setting it on the table.

     “Jarvis told everyone you were fine, and Natasha was here, but… I wanted to be sure…” He trailed off, looking at Loki, who was sitting up on the counter and staring at Bruce with a nervous expression. Tony elbowed the God, who glared at where he was sitting.

     “Um. What?” He asked, pointing at Tony, and Tony smiled.

     “I’m going to need you to sit down, okay?” She said smiling slightly, and Bruce gave her a wary look.

     “As long as it’s not Loki, we should be fine.” He said, a hesitant smile on his lips. Tony muffled a groan, and unthinkingly gripped the hand in his palm tighter.

     He relaxed it immediately, forgetting he was still _holding hands with_ Loki _what the fuck_ , but then the hand squeezed back, and he looked at Loki, who was still staring at Bruce.

     Loki continued to squeeze his hand throughout the conversation, especially the parts that were a little… Green. Tony tried to pull away once or twice, but Loki had a death-grip on his hand. Eventually he relaxed into it. It took a few moments, but Bruce finally said, ‘it’s fine, it’s fine’, and Tony allowed himself to be seen once more.

     “Tony?” Bruce said cautiously, staring into the red-red eyes Tony currently owned.

     “In the flesh. Well. In his flesh.” He smiled and Bruce let out a little laugh, and looked down to where he and Loki were still holding hands.

     Tony jerked his hand out of Loki’s grip, and the God glared at him, attempting to grab the hand again. They struggled for a moment before the other two interrupted.

     “Uhh, guys?” Bruce said at the same time Natasha said “Stop,” And Tony froze, Loki gripping his forearm, the God sneered at Natasha and Bruce.

     “Ah, babe, I told you not in front of my parents,” Tony whined, anything to break the weird tension in the room. Loki gave him a befuddled look, and there was a choked laugh from Bruce.

     “I think I can siphon energy from you in this form,” Loki said, the grip on his forearm still unwavering. “I can feel it resting under your skin, if I can get to it, I could perhaps get us fixed.” He said, and Tony slowly lowered his arm.

     “Hold on a moment,” Bruce said in that ever-calm voice of his, “You’re telling me that to get magic, you need to _hold hands with Tony_?” He asked dubiously.

     “Not even in the top ten weirdest things I’ve ever done,” Tony said, “Uh, not even the top fifty.” Bruce rubbed his temples.

     “If this is what gets results, they’re going to have to deal with it.” Natasha said, and Loki nodded his agreement, intertwining his hand in Tony’s, their forearms pressed together. His other hand came to rest on Tony’s arm.

     It was very warm, but not uncomfortable. Bruce looked very uncomfortable, his eyes flicking back and forth like he didn’t know who to look at.

     “Hey J, temporarily class Loki as non-hostile, please.” He said, and Loki looked up at him suspiciously, “Give him Delta-Class clearance.” He said, and Natasha said, ‘I have Delta-Class clearance’, with a frown, and a small smile spread on Loki’s lips.

     “I have Gamma.” Bruce said, and Tony laughed at his own joke.

     “Only I have Alpha-Clearance, and only Pep has Beta clearance.” He said, tripping over Pepper’s name a little bit. So that did still hurt. Bruce made a slightly distressed sound.

     “Is it a good idea to give him clearance at all when he looks exactly like you? People are going to look at him and think ‘Hey, it’s Tony Stark’, and then what will you do?” Tony admittedly hadn’t considered that one.

     “I don’t plan on leaving the Tower,” Loki said, gripping Tony like a vice. In doing so, he brought them close until they were pressed together shoulder-to-knee. Tony was no stranger to extended bodily contact with people he didn’t know, but this particular situation was a first. 

     “And I can’t leave the tower.” Tony said sullenly, “People will definitely notice all this...blue.” He said, and a microscopic look of hurt fluttered over Loki’s features.

     “Ah, not that it isn’t beautiful.” He said, instantly regretting it. What is he, twelve?! But the hesitant smile on Loki’s lips made it completely worth it. A small burst of warmth in his gut, and what? Since when did he empathize with Loki? Or care about his feelings?

     He had Pep-wait. No he didn’t. Pep had broken up with him after the Battle at New York. Too much stress, she had said, she couldn’t handle Tony Stark and Iron Man. And he really couldn’t blame her. But it didn’t stop a flare of hurt and anger in his gut. He gripped Loki’s hand, the anger and resentment hot in his belly.

     And then Thor walked in. 

     “Man of Iron I-” He froze, and so did everyone else.

     “Loki!” He said, and Mjolnir dropped from his hand to the floor in a huge burst of sound. Tony panicked, and the next thing he knew, he was on his ass on a stone floor. He had fallen onto his back, still intertwined with Loki, it seemed. He attempted to pull his arm away, but instead succeeded in pulling Loki on top of himself.

     Oh yeah, Godly strength and all that. He saw his own body straddling him, and well, he isn’t that much of a narcissist, but there were legs in all the right places, and he had to get Loki off of him _right now_ or things were going to happen that could _not_ be explained away.

     He stood quickly, pulling Loki up with him. He looked around, and was met with the pristine earthy tones in his Malibu home’s foyer. _No way_. Loki looked around as well, a huge grin on his face.

     “Where are we?” He asked, still smiling, still gripping onto Tony.

     “Malibu, California, Mister Laufeyson.” Came the calm voice of Jarvis.

     “Sir you will want to know the party you left behind is quite keen on discerning your whereabouts.” Tony groaned.

     “Tell them we’re fine, ask Nat to get Thor to calm the hell down.”

     “Of course, Sir.” Was the answer, and Tony walked through the house to the kitchen, where he immediately grabbed some scotch and poured a hefty amount into the glass.

     “Want that drink now?” He asked, holding a glass enticingly. He wasn’t drunk enough to deal with the fact that he now had weird unnameable feelings for Loki. Did they even count when he was in his body?

     “Yes,”  Loki answered, and Tony poured him a glass, which was immediately downed, and placed on the counter. Tony smiled appreciatively, following suit. That’s more like it.

     “It seems that bursts of emotion are enough to trigger my magic, as well as transfer some to me.” He said, and Tony raised an eyebrow.

     “Observe,” He said, and held his one hand out and cupped it, as if he were holding something. When he opened it, a miniature horse was on his hand, rubbing his head along its… Are those _eight legs_?! The horse seemed to graze for a moment, before it flickered out of sight.

     “Does this mean you have your magic back?” He asked, leaning over the counter to stare him in the face. His own brown eyes stared back at him.

     “No. Simple illusion magic. It hardly takes any skill at all.” He said, and Tony realized how goddamn close they were standing together, hardly inches apart. He stepped back, his hands coming to rest behind his back.

     “I got only a small amount from you then, it will take a lot more bursts of magic like that to get us anywhere near fruition.” He said, and Tony tried to imagine himself saying the word ‘fruition’ ever, and couldn’t.

     “Well,” He said, pouring himself and Loki another drink, “That’s disheartening.” He said, and this time Loki grinned.

     “Don’t enjoy being in the body of a God, Stark?” He asked, and Tony really couldn’t ignore the innuendo that time.

     “I’m sure I’ll enjoy you, just fine.” He said grinning lasciviously, and running his tongue over his lips for good measure. Loki gave him a wide-eyed look, and Tony thought, _shock is really not a good look for me_.

     Tony slightly regretted that one, it made it sound like he was going to spend his spare time jerking off in Loki’s body. Which… _Still_ wouldn’t be the weirdest thing he’s ever done.

     He turned and poured another glass, deciding to down this one quickly, when he turned around and found himself face-to-face with his own face. Which was weird.

     “Ah, Loki?” He said, and the God-in-mortal-clothing smiled, and held out a knife. Where the hell did he get a knife?! Oh yeah. Kitchen. He thought dimly, and Loki grabbed Tony’s arm, and made as if to stab him.

     It was instinctual, the green shield that he lifted up to protect himself. The knife bounced harmlessly off of it, and when Loki pulled back, his fingertips were singed. Loki pulled back hissing in pain, and in another instinctual movement. Tony grabbed Loki’s hand, willing it to heal.

     He imagined a soothing cloth covering the wound, imagined cells putting themselves back together, and his body complied, and then there was a bright green, and the wounds were gone.

     “You…” Loki said, staring at his now-healed hands. “You’ve never practiced magic before?” He said, awe in his tone. “Healing magic is very advanced.” He said slowly, staring at Tony disbelief clear in his face.

     “I didn’t know magic was a thing until your glowy-ass showed up.” He said, and Loki rolled his eyes.

     “In any case defending yourself seems to hurt me more than it helps us, so we’ll avoid attacks like that in the future.” He said firmly. And Tony laughed.

     “Yeah, if we can avoid stabbing, burning, defenestration, or anything else, that’d be great.” Loki hesitantly laughed at the reference to their meeting.

     “Sir, Mr. Odinson has requested an audience with Mr. Laufeyson.” Jarvis said.

     “I’d rather not speak with Thor at the moment.” He said, looking at the glass.

     “Ah, yes, just tell him we’re not having visitors right now.” Tony said, giving Loki a meaningful look. He huffed, but said nothing. There was a beat of silence, then.

     “Mr. Odinson  insists on a meeting, Sir. Apparently he was under the impression Mr. Laufeyson was deceased.”

     “You were dead!” Tony exclaimed, and Loki rolled his eyes.

     “I’m clearly not dead.”

     “Why did he think you were dead?”

     "Cease your questioning Stark. It does not matter!” Tony begged to differ, but there was this stony look on Loki’s face and he knew that he wasn’t going to get anything out of him now.

     “They have requested that Mr. Odinson and Doctor Banner be allowed to stay with you.” Jarvis said, and Tony looked at Loki.

     "Why the _beast_?” Loki said with distaste, and Tony glared at him.

     “I believe because they are aware Doctor Banner is Tony’s favorite, Mr.Laufeyson.” Loki looked very annoyed by this, and Tony wanted to laugh at the childish expression.

     “Tell Bruce he can come stay, and Thor can come visit. But don’t tell the rest where we are. I don’t want any unexpected visitors.” He said, and Loki looked slightly more relaxed. “Oh, and have Brucie bring the glo-stick.” Loki huffed at the nickname.

     “So. Around an hour until Thor gets here. What do we do now?” He said, and Loki frowned.

     “I suppose we practice.” He said, and Tony smiled, leading them into the big open area with the view of the ocean. The sight of all the water still made him hesitate, but he turned to Loki with a smile, and made a vague motion with his hand that was supposed to mean _have at it._

     Loki hesitantly walked down into the lowered area, staring out of the window. Tony turned around and grabbed the scotch and the glasses, and Loki was still staring out the window.

     “Don’t get any ideas,” Tony said, setting them down on the table, “It may be a nice window, but I still don’t want to be thrown out of it.” He said, and Loki rolled his eyes.

     “We need to find a way to access your raw emotion so that I can attempt to pick up on the errant energy.” He said, looking full at him now.

     “Great, _emotions_.” He sat heavily on one of the couches, “I’m really more of a machine kind of guy.” He said, and Loki pursed his lips.

     “Our success hinges on your ability to transfer magic to me. Figure out a way to emote. Or are you too much like the _machine_ you hide in?” Loki said harshly, and Tony glared at him.

     “Does anger work? Because I’m well on my way to that one!” He said, choosing to pour another drink rather than do anything else. Why wasn’t he getting drunk yet?

     Loki grabbed his hand instead of answering, and Tony jumped at the sudden contact. They just glared at each other for a moment, which Tony might’ve laughed, had he not been supremely pissed off.

     “It appears not,” Loki said after a moment, letting go of Tony’s hand and sitting next to him on the couch.

     “Fan-tas-tic.” Tony said, sipping at his drink. “So you’ve never seen anything like this before?” He gestured between the two of them, “Body-swapping, I mean?” Loki shook his head.

     “There are stories... But nothing _real_. I am not familiar with this kind of magic.” He begrudgingly admitted, “It must be very rare indeed for me to not know of it.”

     Magic. Tony _didn’t like magic_. Twisting it’s way through all of his clean _beautiful_ science. Things should make sense! And this, _did not_. Loki was the most powerful magical being they had ever encountered, and even _he_ did not know what they were dealing with.

     Maybe, he thought, _they should just be happy he isn’t attempting to take over the world right now_. That brought up another question though.

     “What were you planning on doing when you showed up in the tower?” Tony said, turning to look at Loki, who appeared to be lost in thought.

     “I wasn’t planning to attempt to take over your world again, if that’s what you’re asking.” Loki said dismissively, turning to stare out the window again.

     “Then what _were_ you doing?” Tony questioned, because that was a _shit_ answer and he was going to get a better one.

     “I needed to know where you got the scepter, and what happened to it while you it was gone. I was fairly sure that you wouldn’t give up that information willingly, so I was going to force you to give it to me.” He explained, still not looking at Tony.

     “You weren’t planning on getting me to fight my friends and destroy Earth?” He questioned, and Loki sneered,

     “I care not for your Midgard, I do not wish to rule this pathetic planet.” He said and Tony took his turn to sneer.

     “I’m going to call bullshit on that one, Moriarty. People are _still_ rebuilding after you tried taking over this planet.” He said, and Loki turned to look at him.

     “I was under the influence of another!” He said, “I had no choice! You are safe from any attempts to rule, fret not.” He said, and somehow made that sound rude.

     Tony’s first instinct was to say bullshit. But he held it in because the guy had already tried to stab him today, and he wasn’t really interested in fighting his own body.

     “I know you think I’m lying.” Loki said, and Tony raised an eyebrow. “I’m the Trickster God, _God of Lies_ to some. Thor would have told you that. You have no reason to believe me. But in this particular situation, we are working toward the same goal, so you are just going to have to _trust me_.” Loki said, drinking the rest of Tony’s glass.

     Trust the God of Lies. _Right._ Tony just blinked at him, and the God rolled his eyes.

     “I will not harm you or your friends while we are working together.” He said, and Tony considered for a moment.

     “Give me your word that you will not harm me, or my friends.” He said, remembering something Thor had said about oaths. This time Loki looked at him with a little more appreciation in his glance.

     “Why should I do that?” He said, but it lacked the venom Tony was expecting.

     “Because if you don’t I’ll have to ask Thor to stay permanently to keep an eye on you.” Tony threatened, and the look on Loki’s face was totally worth it.

     “Fine,” He bit out, “You have my word that I will not harm you, _or_ your friends.” He said, and Tony felt a lot better than he had a few minutes ago. “Now we must find a way for you to emote, or use magic in a way that allows me to pick up on the errant energy.”

     “I did the healing-thing, did that work?” He asked, and Loki shook his head.

     “You have to use magic in very large bursts for it to at all have errant energy. The healing magic, though skilled, does not require a lot of energy.” Tony moaned in aggravation.

     “So I have to get really emotional about something. Anger doesn’t work apparently, and trying to make me afraid of you just gets you hurt. Well, gets me hurt.” He considered for a moment, “Would laughter work?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

     “Possibly.” Loki admitted, “But that is my body, and it has always channeled energy in the largest amounts when in anguish.” He said, and Tony considered that for a moment.

     How many times must Loki have felt true anguish for him to know that that was the best way to rouse his magic? Tony felt sad for a moment, before he remembered that he was _not supposed to be empathizing with the guy who tried to destroy New York_.

     “So I have to think of something that will make me feel deep despair?” He said, not exactly wanting to do so. Loki nodded though, and grabbed Tony’s hands in his.

     “Yes. Saying it aloud may help.” He said, and this sounded a lot more like the therapy sessions he was supposed to have than a way to get them fixed.

     “And you’re not fucking with me?” He said, and Loki rolled his eyes. “Alright…” He said hesitantly. It wasn’t every day you went out of your way to make yourself feel heartache.

     He thought for a moment. The things that made him feel anguish. His mind flicked immediately to the image of his team sprawled out in front of him, impaled, and destroyed, dead while he still stood. His heart seized just remembering it.

     “Good,” Loki said, and Tony opened his eyes to see green at his fingertips. Loki seemed to be absorbing it. Which… honestly made Tony kind of nervous, because there’s _magic going into my body what the fuck_ , but he had to trust that Loki and he had the same interests in mind.

     The green slowly faded away as Tony’s heartache did, and Loki looked up at him.

     “You need to do this.” He said, and Tony breathed hard through his nose. “Talking will help.” He reminded him, and Tony leveled him with a look, which Loki rolled his eyes in response to. What was a… less disturbing topic that would still make him anguished?

     “Well, if this is what will get us fixed.” Tony started, “Then we’re going to have to talk about Pepper.” Loki raised an eyebrow.

     “My… ex-girlfriend.” He said, and got zero reaction out of Loki, which he wasn’t entirely sure what to make of. So he took a breath and started to talk about Pep.

     About how she used to take care of his life for him, organize everything, arrange and detail everything, and ‘take out the trash’ in the mornings. How she became the indisposable leader of Stark Industries, and longest relationship of Tony’s life before briefly becoming a super-human herself. He wasn’t really sure which mission it was that finally got to her.

     But eventually, waiting by the phone while nervously watching whatever footage the news networks managed to get ahold of got to be too much. Pepper wanted something Tony could never give her- normalcy.

     She wanted the dog and the condo in Florida, the doting husband and the ability to know that her partner wasn’t going to run off to his potential death every weekend. He didn’t blame her. But hurt, hot and heavy in his stomach, churned and ached.

     There were a few minutes of nothing, Tony didn’t know what else to say as he watched Loki gather the magic that had pooled at his fingers. As the final bits were absorbed, Tony noticed that beads of sweat were forming on Loki’s head.

     Tony knew it wasn’t hot in the room, despite the warmth he was feeling, which he attributed to his current body rather than any faulty AC units. Loki must have noticed his staring, because he pulled back and away from Tony, and wiped the back of his hand over his head.

     “Absorbing this much magic is putting a huge strain on this body,” He explained, and damn, he even sounded winded.

     “Are you in pain?” He asked, and Loki gave him a questioning look. “That’s my body you’re messing with. I’d rather not have it returned broken.”

     “It’s fine,” Loki bit out, and leaned back against the couch, still breathing heavily. “Just… difficult.” Tony nodded. Despite Loki being the one winded and panting, he was the one feeling vulnerable.

     He had just told Loki the details of his relationship and his breakup with his _enemy_. But was he really his enemy? Because if he was telling the truth about being influenced, and having no interest in taking over the Earth, then he was at the very least… Neutral.

     Thor didn’t seem to regard him as a hostile. He dropped mjolnir when he saw him, he didn’t swing it. He paused for a moment, realizing he was trying to find a way to see Loki as a.. As a what exactly? An ally?

     He decided it was better to leave it alone. Loki was a neutral while they were swapped. But their temporary arrangement did not mean that Tony should at all put his guard down around the guy.

     “So I’m assuming you aren’t in a padded cell somewhere because they all think you’re dead?” Tony asked, and Loki opened his eyes to stare at him.

     “Asgard is under the impression that I am dead,” He winced, “Though they will not be for much longer.”

     “Mind telling me how that happened?” Tony asked grabbing his drink again, and leaning back on the chair.

     “And why would I do that, _mortal?_ ” Loki hissed, and Tony laughed.

     “You’re the mortal one at the moment, Merlin. Also, we just spent the last twenty minutes talking about my ex-girlfriend while holding hands. All we needed was some Cosmos and for you to braid my hair, and we would have had a girl’s night. Why don’t you get over the _high and mighty_ routine and talk to the guy stuck inside your blue ass?” He said, and refused to wince at the accidental innuendo. _Again? For crying out loud_. Loki just stared at him, and although he had seen his own face plenty of times on TV and other footage, it was completely different to see his own face.

     “Aaalright…” Tony said, “How ‘bout this one. Why did you try to take over Earth?” He asked, genuinely curious as to the answer. Loki just glared at him still.

     “The glare is getting old, grumpy cat.” He said, and received nothing in response.

     “Seriously? You can’t tell me anything?” He pushed, and Loki glared.

     “Why do you want to know about me?” He said, suddenly enraged, “So you can laugh at me? Use the knowledge to _hurt_ me? Fill your files with the depressing story of Loki _Son of None!?_ ” He was almost screaming at the end, and Tony had slowly slid back, and away from him.

     “You want to know the story of how I was stolen as a babe, the spoils of war? How I was raised to be a King, only to learn in the end that my throne was never going to be mine?  You want to know how my adoptive Father betrayed me, lied to me about his plans for his adopted son? How I unknowingly killed my true father? How I was manipulated by a Mad Titan, then imprisoned, and had to sit idle while my Mother was _murdered_? Is that what you wanted to know? _Man of Iron_?” He said, spitting the last part out mockingly.

     Tony didn’t say anything, just stared as Loki breathed heavily. Loki sat back, and pulled his hands around him, over his shoulders. Tony would swear there were tears in his eyes.

     “I… I didn’t want to say that.” Loki said, looking away from Tony. “This form doesn’t know how to handle this much magic.” He said.

     “You’re saying magic is causing you to have an emotional meltdown?” He asked, and Loki turned to him, seething with rage.

     “Leave me you pathetic coxcomb!” Loki yelled, and Tony slid quickly away from him, scrambling off the couch. He was half-way up the stairs when Jarvis said,

     “Sir, Mr. Odinson has arrived.” And Tony froze on the steps, not entirely sure of what to do, and thinking that was fast. “He is at the door, Sir.” Jarvis prodded, and Tony slowly made his way to the door. He swung it open with more force than was strictly necessary.

     “Lassie, come on in!” He said, arms open and gesturing to the room with a smile. Thor just stared at him which was slightly unnerving because he didn’t have the smile on his face he normally did, just this odd look like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

     “Well don’t just stand there Blondie, you’re making me feel bad,” He jested, and Thor jolted a little bit before walking in. He saw Loki standing facing the windows on the other side of the room, and paused.

     "So it is true,” He said turning to look at Tony, jumping back when he found him standing right next to him. “Have a care where you stand!” He said, and this caused Loki to look behind him.

     “Thor,” He said, and turned fully to look at him. Thor stared at Loki, and then looked at Tony, and back to Loki again.

     “You let us believe you were dead,” Thor said, his voice sounded oddly hollow, not at all the booming jovial Thor that he had grown used to. “I thought you dead!” Louder now, but no less broken. There was a long silence where nothing happened, and Tony began to feel grossly uncomfortable.

     “Why don’t you head to the lab, and… talk.” Tony said, pointing toward the heavy steel door which slid open silently. _Thank you, Jarvis_. Loki moved first, walking stiffly toward the door then through it, Thor pausing for a moment before following suit.

     Tony waited until the door slid shut, and then a few moments after that before doing anything, just in case he heard anything blow up.

     He walked back to the couch and grabbed the scotch, because he wasn’t _nearly_ drunk enough to deal with what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not done yet! Not sure exactly what I want to happen though.


	3. Say Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY this took so long! My deepest apologies. I have been struggling with my depression and anxiety disorder, but I'm on a new medication and a new schedule now, so my new goal is updates every Thursday!!

      Tony glared at the wall, silently seething for an assortment of reasons. Firstly, shortly after Thor and his morally ambiguous adopted brother had walked into the lab, he asked Jarvis to show him the footage of the conversation. _Apologies Sir, but there is no recording equipment functioning in the lab. You requested it be finished yourself._ For that, he supposed, he had no one to blame but himself. However, that did not stop him from cursing quite colorfully in every language that he knew.

      Secondly, his research involving Loki’s scepter had been put on hold, perhaps indefinitely. Thor would more than likely be returning the scepter to Asgard following this most recent debacle. So much potential technological advancement wasted on a guy who struggled with a smartphone almost as much as Steve.

      Thirdly, and perhaps most infuriatingly, _he could not get drunk_. Not even a little. Not even _buzzed_. He was on his fourth, perhaps fifth drink, and he wasn’t feeling anything. Nothing was acting the way it should, not alcohol, not even his body, when the God of Chaos showed up.

       The grip on his tumbler tightened as he descended further into his spiral of seething rage. His gaze has not wavered from his place on the wall, and he didn’t move an inch when he distantly registered a _crack_. He didn’t do anything until a concerned-sounding _Sir_? Came from Jarvis.

       He looked down at the glass, shattered, some of the jagged pieced still in his grip, the rest scattered at his feet. His skin was miraculously unmarred, just holding the serrated pieces of glass in his hand like nothing.

       Hesitantly, he brushed the remaining pieces of glass off of his hand, skin remaining intact. He supposed it was fitting, he was in the body of a God, after all. Which begged the question, _how much is Loki really capable of?_

       Testing began immediately. Tony jogged up to the counter and gripped the limestone firmly. He gave what he considered to be a light tug, and the beautiful stone snapped in two as if it were made of brittle sugar and not stone. He stared at the piece in his hands, and broke it into smaller and smaller pieces just because he could.

       He jumped over the counter and grabbed the knife that Loki had threatened him with earlier, and in an act that directly butted against his sense of self-preservation, _which Steve insists I don’t have,_ attempted to run the blade over his palm. There was a pressure, but it felt more like running a blunt rock over his hand than a sharpened cutting knife. He had to use quite a bit of pressure before the knife broke the skin and blood flowed to the surface. It was distinctly bright against the cerulean blue of his palms.

       Tony didn’t get to see himself bleed for long, as the cut began to heal itself almost instantly. Tony watched in fascination as the skin pulled itself together, magenta sitting at the crux of the cut before it slowly faded back to its original blue. Tony suddenly couldn’t wait for Bruce to arrive, he would have him draw blood samples first thing. If he lost the scepter, he could at least gain something from this.

       Idly Tony wondered just how much Loki could withstand if his body healed this rapidly even without the effects of the healing magic he knew he possessed. He knew that Thor was extremely difficult to even stun, but Loki wasn’t Asgardian, his boundaries could be very different. The cold was certainly an interesting factor. He stepped toward the fridge, and feeling particularly foolish, he opened it, sticking his hand inside.

       It felt… nice. The chill was pleasant. He shuffled closer to the cold, feeling much like a cat who plopped himself in front of a fireplace. He turned, sitting on the floor with his back to the fridge, just basking in the cold. It was rejuvenating. Tony had never been a fan of being cold, especially not recently. This, however, felt less like cold, and more like coming home.

       Stepping to the couch with fewer steps than he was used to, Tony grabbed a throw pillow and took it back with him to the fridge where he promptly arched against it in a movement that was very feline, though felt very natural in his current form. Feeling more relaxed than he had been in ages, Tony looked down at his hands. In a mix of the lazy Malibu sun and the slowly dying light of his fridge, the blue looked beautiful.

       Tony considered coloring one of his suits that color, it was like the sky. But that would break his beautiful array of reds, golds and metallics. He snorted, surprised he was able to think of something so mundane in the face of everything that had happened that day. But embracing change had always been one of his better qualities.

       Nonetheless, Tony shocked himself. He thought he had so much animosity for Loki, seething rage for what he did to Earth. He was never a spectacularly angry person, though. _That’s Bruce’s department_ , he thought, then rolled his eyes at his own exceedingly stupid joke. Not a Stark gem, that one.

       The rage that he assumed he had was decidedly lacking in intensity. Rather than analyzing that too closely, he blamed it on the body-swap. _Because all throughout history people have been calling things they don’t understand ‘magic’_ , his brain supplied, rather unhelpfully.

       Loki had asked him not to try any magic, it would incinerate them. Though, every time he had done something magical, he had gone what appeared to be way beyond Loki’s expectations. He was going to call bullshit on Loki’s bluff. He just didn’t want the little mortal playing around with his magic.

        Well. You can’t put an amazing opportunity to learn in front of Tony Stark and expect him to lie idle because of a few threats of incineration. He almost blew himself up _all the time_. A few more close calls were hardly going to change anything.

        Strong hands flexed minutely, and despite their… alien appearance, did not look all that dangerous. _Better start out small_ , he thought, and attempted what Loki had shown him earlier, an illusion. He thought of his suit, because the image of it was easy for him to conjure in perfect detail. He _made_ it after all.

        Absolutely nothing happened for a few moments, Tony mentally straining and staring at his hands expectantly. He sat back with a sigh. Perhaps he could only be a prodigy when under duress? He thought to when he needed to become visible again, Loki’s petulant tone when he told him he needed to _relax_.

        Couldn’t hurt. Tony took a deep breath, and relaxed, thinking of his suit, and willing the image to present itself on his fingertips. And, lo and behold, it did. For a moment. An Iron Man in miniature hovered above his fingertips, in classic flight pose, head tilted up, hands angled down, and legs straight. A grin split his face, was there anything he couldn’t do? He let the image flicker away, then decided to try something more exciting.

        In his brief stint as a maniacal super-villain, Loki had created clear and _convincing_ doubles of himself that interacted with the world just as he would have. The God did it as if it were nothing. Tony stood, tossing the pillow onto the counter before turning to close the fridge door. He leapt up to the counter, and stared at a spot on the floor, and imagined Loki standing there before him. He imagined him as he appeared in his thoughts, in full armor, ready to defenestrate some poor soul.

        He made himself flinch when Loki did appear before him. But this Loki was unmoving, though he stood arms out, as if he were enticing a crowd to cheer, grin high on his face, he did not move a millimeter. Tony frowned, willing the Loki to move. He stared at him, trying for several minutes more to get the life-sized Loki to do _anything_ , and was about to give up when the lab doors slid open, startling Tony into losing concentration. The conjured Loki promptly disappeared.

        “You speak of what you do not understand!” Was the first thing that was said, an angry hiss from Loki. Pissed off seemed to be his favorite default setting. Thor’s lips tilted down ever-so-slightly.

        “You admitted your lack of knowledge in the area as well, Loki.” He said diplomatically, and Loki’s nostrils flared.

        “It is a foolish children’s tale, _no more_!” He said, biting out the last part. _Ugh,_ Tony thought, _I really am going to get an angry face stuck permanently._

        “Mother did not think so,” The Thunder God said solemnly, and that earned a snap of teeth from Loki, who reached up to run his hands through hair, and seemed frustrated when he found hardly any.

        “Care to clue me in here, boys?” Tony asked, balancing himself on the edge of the counter. Loki glared, and Thor looked at him solemnly. It seemed neither had noticed the conjured Loki, which was something to perhaps be grateful for.

        “In Asgard, there is an old story-“

        “A _children’s_ story!” Loki hissed, and Thor politely ignored it.

        “That involves this change.” He said, and Tony nodded, encouraging him to go on. “During the last summer of the war of-“ Thor’s voice changed slightly when he began speaking again, and Tony recognized it the change. It was the tone he used when he told stories, war stories, or stories of Asgard. Loki seemed to recognize the change as well, because he rolled his eyes dramatically, cutting his brother off.

        “We don’t have time for the entire story, nor do we care to hear it.” He growled, turning to look at Tony. “In the tale, two people who despise each other are magically forced into the others body.”

        “So far so good,” Tony said, earning a sneer from Loki and a frown from Thor.

        "The story goes like this,” Thor said, “The people learn to understand and trust one another, and together they defeat a great evil. Once they have done this, they return to their own bodies.” He said, leaning against a couch and propping Mjolnir against it. Tony stared between the two for a moment, Thor maintaining his ‘dignified Collie’ look, and Loki glaring resolutely at the floor.

        Oh _fantastic._ That was all they had to go on? An old wives’ tale? Tony gripped the counter and felt the stone begin to crumble under his fingers. Loki looked up and raised an eyebrow.

        “So that’s it? What about you siphoning magic from me? That’s not going to work?” He said, and Thor laughed.

        “Mortals cannot use magic,” He said, grinning as though Tony had made a particularly amusing joke.

        “That seems to be among the many non-truths that have been fed to the Asgardian public. They have let you grow fat with your imperialistic lies-“ Tony cut him off because Loki seemed to be starting on one of his monologues again, and he really didn’t have the patience for that.

        “Can we stick to the topic here?” He said, and Thor nodded, which only seemed to anger Loki further.

        “Of course you’re all so eager to free your beloved friend from the body of a monster, let’s not distract from the purpose.” He said, stalking over to the table and grabbing the half-full tumbler with a little more force than what was probably necessary.

        “Brother,” Thor began, only to have Loki laugh in his face.

        “No, we’re going to tell no lies today, _Thor_.” He said, leaning back, and smiling in a way that made him look completely crazy. “Nothing but the _truth_ for the shining heroes of Midgard!” He spat, curling his lip. Thor looked particularly dismayed, and something seemed to _click_ , in his head. Tony could almost see the wheels turning. He turned to Tony rather suddenly.

        “He was siphoning magic from you?” He asked, and it sounded so serious. Tony met his gaze evenly and slowly shrugged in what ended up being an over-exaggerated shoulder movement. Thor’s eyes widened. He turned to Loki, “You could have killed the both of you!” He said, and instead of reacting like a normal human being, Tony laughed. He got an annoyed look from Thor, amusingly similar to those he received from dear ol’ Rogers.

         He earned a smile from Loki, though, and he was so relieved to see his own face wearing _anything_ other than a glare that he couldn’t help but smile back. Maybe there was hope his face wouldn’t be stuck, after all.

       “Can you treat this situation with the dire seriousness it deserves?” Thor said, anger permeating his expression. Tony made a pouty expression, flipping some hair over his shoulder in a move that was oddly satisfying. “He could have killed you!” Thor boomed, and Tony nodded solemnly.

       “Heard you loud and clear, Scout Leader.” He said, giving a mock salute. Thor sighed, and Tony shrugged, “I was expecting him to try to kill me in a lot more direct, and frankly, more spectacular way.” He turned to Loki, “Yeah, you heard that, I expected more from you, Lady Gaga.” He was gifted an expression from Loki that was both threatening and confused, which was hilarious. Thor turned around, seemingly prepared to direct his ire at Loki, which Tony didn’t know exactly how to feel about. _Technically,_ all that Godly anger was directed away from him, but also technically, it was directed right at him.

       “Is this why you are so out of control?” Thor said, and Tony regretted all the missed chances to have the ‘inside voices’ chat with him. “Siphoning magic, even in a powerful form is dangerous! You could lose all semblance of control!” He shouted, and Loki winced slightly at the volume, before sneering at Thor.

       “I had to try _something_. You could not seriously have expected me to sit in this _pathetic_ form without attempting to rid myself from it in any way I know how.” He growled, and somehow managed to pull off making Tony’s face look scary, which Tony didn’t think was possible.

       “Right here, bud.” He said, and Loki didn’t even deign to look at him. Thor turned back to Tony, and started at him intensely.

       “You will not continue to let him siphon magic.” He said, which earned an outraged shout from Loki. “It is highly dangerous, and has already made him subject to his emotions. If you continue this, he may lose himself entirely, which will mean you will lose yourself, also.” Thor said with a grave seriousness that Tony decided not to mock.

       “It is our only chance!” Loki hissed, and Thor answered without looking away from Tony.

       “It is not.” He stood up straighter, and turned so he was facing both of them. “You will learn to work together, so that you may defeat whomever it is you were destined to defeat, and return to your natural forms.” He said with finality, and when Loki began to speak, Thor interrupted him again. “If you will excuse me,” He said gruffly, “I have urgent business in Asgard.” Loki looked slightly dismayed at this, before schooling his expressions. Thor stared at him for a moment, “My brother would not let these emotions slip,” He said, pointing Mjolnir at Loki, “Continue siphoning magic, and you _will_ lose yourself. And we may never be able to get you back.” He intoned, then nodded once at Tony before stalking out the door.

       Tony heard the sound of Thor leaving, and silently wept for the loss of the beautiful landscaping. He was staring forlornly at the door when he felt his hands grabbed. He shouted and turned, about to wrench his hands out of their grip and _punch_ , and paused when he saw it was Loki. He saw green magic spiking around them, being siphoned into Loki’s hands. He pulled away quickly, glaring.  

       “No,” Was his genius response. That got a glare from Loki, who opened his mouth presumably to try to convince him. Or insult him.

       “Nope!” Tony reiterated, and quickly slipped himself from Loki’s grip, hopping away and running around the island so it stood between him and Loki. The God narrowed his eyes at him.

        “Are you really going to accept Thor’s opinion on magical matters over mine?!” Loki asked, seriously aggravated. His hand twitched at his side. Tony pretended to consider it for a couple of moments.

        “Friendly team-mate who reminds me of an overgrown golden retriever, or psycho God who tried to kill me and the whole of said team.” He hummed, “Whomever should I trust?” He smiled sourly, “Real conundrum.” Loki pursed his lips, before snorting derisively and turning around and heading back to the couch, where he sat down with more force than was necessary.

        “Dr. Banner will be arriving in a half hour, Sir,” Jarvis informed him calmly, and Tony nodded.

        “Order some food will you?” He asked, then called over to Loki, “Hey, can I eat normally in this form?” It was a legitimate question, he thought. Loki stared at him with contempt.

        “Thor would say that my Jötunn form will only consume rotting flesh and muddy water.” He said emptily, not even looking at Tony. The Avenger paused, not quite sure how to take that. The whole Jötunn thing seemed to be a sore spot for both Thor and Loki, and he really didn’t know how to approach it. Loki sighed for a moment. “It can consume anything.” _Finally, a viable answer_ , he thought choosing to gloss over the use of the word ‘it’.

        “Ask Bruce what he likes and send that over. Trick him into answering if you must.” Tony said, and Jarvis responded with a put-upon, _of course, Sir_. Tony watched Loki for a moment, watching for any more signs of crazy that Thor warned him about, but the God was just _sitting_ there. Not even in a threatening pose.

        He slowly approached, watching Loki carefully. The crazy ones only get more crazy after they’re rejected. He settled down across from Loki and looked out to the sky, watching the sun slowly approach the sea. It was nearly dark now. Tony idly wondered if he needed to sleep in this form. He knew that his own form was capable of forgoing sleep in favor of science, but wasn’t sure how it would react with Loki’s mind occupying it.

        Though, he supposed that was among the simplest of his worries, and he should probably be freaking out about how on earth he was going to become friends with the God, or what sort of ‘evil’ they were supposed to defeat. He hoped it was something easy to blow up.

        “So, this fable that we’re currently stuck in.” He said, leaning back onto the couch and relaxing. He was the magical immortal in this situation, what did he have to be afraid of? “What should I know that Lassie didn’t tell me?” He asked, watching as Loki looked back up to meet his gaze. There was nothing for a few moments, then Loki smiled.

        “Yes, the _fable_.” He said, showing teeth, and Tony instantly felt wary, he had _just_ sneaked more magic from Tony, and was probably dealing with a few extra felines in the ‘bag of cats’ that was his brain. “Thor left a few details out in his synopsis.” And Tony knew he wasn’t going to like them. “The protagonists fall in love,” He said simply, and Tony sputtered, his brain completely blank at that for several moments.

        “We’re not them,” He finally came up with, and Loki rolled his eyes.

        “Clearly,” He said, “I would have noticed if one of us was an Elven Queen,”

        “I don’t love you,” Tony said, and Loki’s smile wavered. Tony thought that he would hate that those emotions were showing, were he capable of hiding them.

        “No one does,” He said calmly, and Tony paused, feeling bad for a moment before Loki said, “Forgive me if I don’t care in the slightest what you think of me.” He said, aaand the self-centered asshole was back again. Tony sighed.

        “Is that the only thing that I should know? That they fall in love?” He questioned, and Loki’s lips quirked up.

        “There is an… _adult_ version of the story if that’s what you’re asking.” He said, and Tony couldn’t help but barking a laugh.

        “Ah. No.” He said, a small smile on his lips. Loki pursed his, back to his more serious expression.

        “According to the story, the magic is actually a fate-curse.” He started, “Magic that is from the universe itself, one of the ways it protects itself from destruction. In the story, the people are swapped, but once they start to understand each other, they switch back. But if they leave each other, the magic reverts itself. They are not free from the curse until the evil they must defeat is defeated.”

        “What! So you’re saying that if we just talk to each other we can switch to our own bodies?” He asked, the volume of his voice rising. Loki just nodded. “Why the fuck didn’t you just say that? This would have been so much easier that way! Instead of you trying to fucking kill the both of us by forcing magic into _my_ body?!” Loki glared at him, curling his lip as he replied.

         “How am I supposed to talk to you, you disgusting worm?” He hissed, looking at Tony as if he were something that crawled out of a sewer. Tony felt his anger flare, but clenched his fists and focused on breathing and calming down. If just talking to the guy got him back in his own body, even just for the short term, then he was going to have to swallow some pride and just talk to him.

         “I guess we’re both just going to have to try.” He said. And Loki just glared at him for a few moments, perhaps checking for any signs of lying, before nodding. “Question,” Tony said, because this was bothering him now, “Why didn’t that work when I told you all those things about Pepper earlier?” He said, and Loki looked conflicted for a moment before he answered.

         “I was under extreme duress while you were talking. It was difficult to remain conscious while you were speaking, let alone listen to what you were saying.” He said, not meeting Tony’s eyes. Tony felt white rage flood him at the news that he really had almost killed the both of them with magic, but chose to shut it down instead, and ask his follow-up question.

         “Why didn’t it work when you told me those things?” He said, deliberately not elaborating. Loki’s nostrils flared, and he grit out an answer.

         “I would imagine things that I screamed at you while you shrunk back in fear do not count.” He said lowly, meeting Tony’s gaze. They simply stared at each other for a moment, and Tony wondered how many other times the universe had used this particular trick up its sleeve.

         “So, do we just talk?” He asked, and Loki frowned.

         “The Queen was forced to understand the knights position by living his life, and seeing what he went through. That understanding brought them closer.” He explained, and Tony shook his head.

         “It’s too risky to have you go out as me.” He said, “I may be eccentric, but people will start noticing if I call my waitress a ‘mewling quim’ in an accent,” He said, lips curled up in a smirk. Loki sneered, and seeing his own face glare at him was becoming more funny than frightening.

         “How are we supposed to understand each other if we cannot see how the other lives?” He said, and Tony frowned.

         “Well, there’s _no_ way for me to see how _you_ live,” He argued, and Loki laughed,

         “I believe there are prisons on Midgard.” He quipped, and Tony let out a dry _Ha Ha_ , before frowning again.

         “Seriously, we need to work this out,” He said, and Loki rolled his eyes. “Tell me something legitimate and moving from your past.” Tony said, and Loki gave him a wild-eyed glance.

         “Tell me something from _your_ past.” He countered, and Tony rolled his eyes. Well, it wasn’t as if he lacked things to choose from. And if that’s what got them back in their own bodies, then they were going to share motherfucking stories.

         He thought for a moment, deciding against any stories from his childhood. Too personal. He supposed how he became who he is today, _Iron Man,_ would be a good start. It was like his rebirth, more than a rebranding.

         It was difficult to talk about Obadiah, old wounds still hurt, evidently. He had talked about his kidnapping enough that is was easier to speak about that. He watched Loki for any signs of amusement, or disdain, but the God just watched him evenly, nodding along when Tony would say something that must have been relatable.

         Talking about Yinsen hurt about as much as he predicted it would, guilt still permeating his memories of the man who saved his life. And after that, telling the rest of the story was easy. He trudged through the whole tale, purposefully changing the bit where Obadiah died to have himself kill him, and not Pepper, and leaving out the really personal bits, but leaving it otherwise unchanged.

         He ended with his announcement to the world that he was, in fact, Iron Man. Partially because it was a fun place to stop at, partially because he wanted to end with something that was vaguely amusing because he was feeling rather vulnerable, which he was not comfortable with in the slightest. He tried not to remind himself that it was Loki that he was telling all this to, and instead focused on the fact that this was what was going to get himself into his body.

         "Your turn," Tony said, and the placid yet understanding look Loki has previously held disappeared, a slight sneer sliding over his features like an angry spider. Tony was positive that he was about to refuse, but Loki paused for a moment, and relaxed his features into a blank stare.

         "I will tell you of my son, Sleipnir." He said calmly, with absolutely no inflection. Tony felt his jaw drop a little bit. He didn't know Loki _had_  children. In retrospect, he really should have read up on Norse Mythology. He finally nodded slowly at Loki, who took a breath before beginning.

         "If you were ever permitted to visit Asgard, you would see large walls surrounding the lair of the Gods. These walls were built when Thor and I were young, barely old enough to be called men. They were commissioned to a worker who asked for the sun and the moon as payment." Tony scoffed at this, but Loki just continued on. "Odin agreed, but on the terms that he have no help, save that of his horse, Svaðilfari, and that he finish in three seasons. The Gods assumed this feat impossible, but Svaðilfari proved to be a magnificently powerful horse who could pull enormous boulders that entire teams of horses could not."

        "By the end of three seasons, the sprawling wall was nearly built, and the Gods felt desperation clinging to their thighs. They sought someone to blame, and like countless other times, they blamed myself. An easy scapegoat. For my perceived crimes, I was told to stop the wall from being finished, the 'or else' being implied this time." Tony smirked at that.

        "I tried to coax Svaðilfari away from his master many times with various treats that would have enticed any horse. Alas, Svaðilfari was committed to his master. In my desperation, I made one last attempt at leading him away. I became the one thing he could never resist, a mare in heat." Tony almost laughed, but then he realized that the story Loki was telling him was supposed to be about his _son_ , and suddenly the implications seemed a lot less funny.

        "At the end of the three days, Svaðilfari returned, but it was too late for the worker. I watched from a distance, unable to return for I had become pregnant, as the worker was revealed to be a Frost Giant. I watched as Thor murdered him." He paused there, staring at Tony like he was challenging him to say something, but Tony only felt horror, a very likely  _unwanted_ pregnancy in the form of a horse, and the murder of his own kind by his brother. Though, he wouldn't have known that at the time. Still.

        "Some time later, I returned to the Palace with my son, Sleipnir." He said quietly, holding his hands out and the image of the dappled grey horse with too many legs hovered there. "He is Odin's personal steed. The mightiest and most impressive horse in the nine realms." He said, and Tony detected a small note of pride. "I haven't seen my son in my own form in some time." He said, strained. Though Tony had no children, thank god, and couldn't completely understand what Loki felt, he was still capable of empathy, and he found himself feeling genuinely sorry for Loki.

       "I... I'm sorry." He said, and though it came out rather stilted, his expression was very understanding. Loki scrutinized his expression for a moment, then smiled sadly. Tony reached over and squeezed Loki's shoulder reassuringly, the same way he would do with anyone he cared about.

        Wait. _What?_ Loki was warily looking at his hand, and Tony paused, turning his gaze as well. It wasn't blue. It wasn't blue! Tony and Loki both froze, and looked at each other.

        Tony found himself staring into emerald eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not an expert on Norse mythology, so if anything is just wrong, we'll call it creative license ;)  
> Updates on Thursdays, folks! Also I adore comments, and kudos make me smile, so if you can and want to, please do!!


	4. Mutual Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter contains smut!

        Neither of them moved for a moment, afraid that even a single errant twitch of muscle would tear them apart from their own bodies again. Tony finally lifted his hand from Loki’s shoulder, and he had never been more relieved to see his left hand in his life. He maneuvered it before looking down and inspecting himself for abnormalities. Nothing seemed strange, so he looked back up at Loki, and smiled.

        Loki, who had likewise been reveling in the feeling of being back in his own skin, smiled back at Tony, with the same devilish glint that seemed to characterize all of his smiles. Loki cupped his hands, then fanned out his fingers. Fire, intense and hot, exploded over his palms and Tony reared back. Adrenaline spiked his veins, and he jumped over the couch, flipping over the back of it.

        The mechanic paused for a moment against the back of the couch, and saw the lab door slide open silently, his newest Iron Man suit gliding through, both palms raised, and ready to fire. It was tense for a moment, then Loki began to _laugh_. Tony dared a glance over the back of his chair, and found Loki with his head tossed back, laughing uproariously. He raised a fine-boned finger to wipe the tears from his eyes.

        There was no more fire, Loki was simply fucking with him. And probably checking to make sure he had his magic. The God was still shuddering with laughter.

_He looks rather dashing like that_ , Tony thought, before getting abjectly angry at himself for such a thing. He didn’t have the body-swap excuse any more, he couldn’t just go around thinking those things.

        The God eventually stopped laughing, after a second round of guffaws inspired by Tony’s glare at him from behind the lavish upholstery. Tony slowly stood up, and chose to sit on the chair further away from him, rather than right next to him. Loki seemed to find this amusing, because he smirked at him.

        “Sir, Dr.Banner has left the airport and will be here shortly. He insisted on picking up the food.” Tony nodded. Good ol’ Bruce. He would be glad to see them back in order.

        Seeing the danger had passed, the Iron Man suit had stood up in a more relaxed pose- well. As relaxed as you can look when you are literally made of metal. Loki casually glanced over to it, seemingly studying it. Usually Tony felt intensely proud when someone was staring at his creations, but at the moment he felt rather self-conscious. Like a respected teacher was looking over his final work, and he really didn’t want to screw up.

        “Impressive craftsmanship.” Was all Loki said, and Tony reeled for a moment. Had Loki just given him a compliment? He was immediately skeptical, giving Loki a sideways glance as the taller man stood and rounded the couch to look closer at the suit.

        He circled it for a moment, and Tony wasn’t sure he wanted someone who had tried to kill him getting such a close look at the suit… But this is the guy who managed to trick Jarvis, if he wanted to get access to the details of the Iron Man suit, he could probably find a way. Hell, if he just wanted to look, he could go to his website.

        “You build all of these yourself?” Loki asked, still looking at the suit.

        “Yeah,” Tony said, and placed his hand on the back of one of the arms. The gauntlet opened up, and the pieces rolled over themselves to incase his hand. It was a pretty genius design, he thought. Even in spaces where it wasn’t possible to put the suit on in large pieces at a time, it could ‘crawl’ onto his skin. It also looked _really_ cool.

        “And what I don’t do myself gets done by robots. That I also built.” He said, grinning. Loki took his hand, examining the gauntlet. Tony let him. There was a moment of silence between them, Loki just gently examining his gauntlet. Tony felt uncomfortable with the silence.

        “So, we’re back in our own bodies,” Tony said, and Loki looked up from his gauntlet with a raised eyebrow.

        “Indeed.” He murmured, and continued examining it, running over the lines with his fingers.

        “But only if we keep being… friendly…?” He said, and Loki sighed,

        “Yes.” He said in a rather patronizing tone as he let go of Tony’s hand and turned to the suit again.

        “Why are you… looking at him so closely?” Loki looked up at that, staring at Tony with his frightfully intelligent gaze.

        “You spent some time in my body. And I can see you did not waste the opportunity,” He said, gesturing to the cracked countertop. “I am only seeing that I, too, get the opportunity to learn the man whom I am so inexplicably tied to.” He explained calmly. Tony supposed that was… fair. They were going to have to fight some ‘great evil’ together at some point. Might as well know each others strengths. Loki took the other hand of the Iron Man suit, who obligingly lifted it, letting Loki maneuver him.

        He let Jarvis control all of the suits when he wasn’t in them. Why wouldn’t he? He trusted Jarvis more than he trusted himself. And though Loki playing with his suit like it was some life-sized doll was rather odd, he trusted Jarvis to do it.

        “We do not have such armor in Asgard.” He said, holding the suits hand. “It is masterly.” He complimented, and Tony was getting really blown away by all the.. niceness going on.

        “I’ve seen Thor’s armor compile itself before.” He said, “It’s what gave me the idea, actually.” Loki shook his head,

        "Summoning. Easy magic. Something that Mjolnir, and not Thor is responsible for, no doubt.” He placed a hand on the suits chest.

        “This, this is perfect. Power within the armor.” Tony had never felt so intensely proud in his entire life. He preened.

        “Of course it’s perfect. _I_ made it.” He said, puffing up like a bird. Loki just smiled at him. He placed his hand on the back of the other gauntlet.

        “May I?” He asked, and Tony deflated slightly. He shouldn’t let Loki in the suit. Loki smiled a little, letting out a small puff of air. “I cannot hurt you without possibly endangering myself,” He coaxed, turning to Tony and placing the tips of his fingers on his bicep. Tony sucked in a breath at the contact, innocent as it was, and the devilish smile was back on Loki's face for a moment. He took the hand that was still wearing the gauntlet and brought it to his chest. “Trust me.” He said, cradling it like it was precious, before lifting his hand and pressing a small kiss to the metal.

        Tony made a ridiculous squeaking sound, and yanked his hand away from Loki. Tony laughed to cover his embarrassment. _Laugh or cry, buddy_. Why was that so arousing? He didn’t know. Pepper had kissed his helmet once, but what Loki did somehow felt more personal.

        He looked back at the God, who had a positively _evil_ glint in his eyes. The cat’s grin took an even more feline look of mischief, and Loki sauntered closer to Tony again.

        “I promise I won’t do anything,” He said, and got closer and closer until he crowded Tony against the wall. Tony wasn’t quite sure what to do in that moment. Loki smelled like petrichor, which was amazing. Loki took the gauntleted hand again, and lifted it until the back of his hand was against the wall above his head, and his palm was pressed to Loki. Up close, his eyes were a distractingly beautiful mix of green and blue, and Tony found he had never seen a more breathtaking color.

        Loki lifted his other arm above his head, gently grasping it there. He was very close. He should have more of a problem with this, he really should. But his body was firmly voting yes to whatever was going on, even if his mind was horribly confused. Bruce would know what to do. _What would Bruce do?_ He thought, but was interrupted when Loki leaned in, his lips touching the shell of Tony’s ear, and began to speak very softly.

        “Please let me?” He asked in an octave that was sinfully low, and rubbed his thumb up and down over Tony’s arm. Now, Tony may be a hero, but he’s still only a _man_. And, his ears are really sensitive! _Fuck it_ , he thought, and turned into Loki so their lips were only a hairs-breadth apart. “Yes,” He said, breathing the word onto the God’s lips. The grip on his arm got tighter for a second, then he was released.

        Tony felt distinctly bereft, and he opened his eyes, though he hadn’t remembered closing them, and saw Loki back by the suit, pressing his fingers to the metal which responded immediately, dancing over his skin.

_Oh_ , Tony thought, _fantastic, I was manipulated by the Trickster God! How did I not see that coming?_ Tony ran a hand through his hair, _and now he know’s I’m interested. Fuck_. There was no upside in this. Feeling dejected and rather used, something he was not comfortable with, he watched as the suit glided across Loki’s skin to encase him. It was oddly soothing. Jarvis did it especially slowly, probably to allow Tony to ask him to stop. Tony watched how the armor plates adjusted themselves to the larger frame with ease. By the end, Loki was completely in the armor. Minus the gauntlet that was still on Tony’s hand.

        Gracefully, Loki held out his hand, palm up. Rejecting the urge to slap it as payback, Tony walked up and grabbed Loki’s hand, pulling it to his chest in a mirror of Loki’s movements only a few minutes prior. Jarvis, bless him, took the hint and transferred the gauntlet to Loki in a seamless movement of metal over skin.

        When Loki didn’t pull his hand away, Tony brought it to his lips, and kissed it. Full circle. Loki pulled away, and took a couple of cautious steps in the armor. Tony wasn’t spectacularly worried. Jarvis was ultimately in control, and if there was any hint of a threat, they could always lock down the suit with him in it.

        Smiling, Tony watched as Loki walked around, looking at everything through the visor. He must have said something to Jarvis, because DUM-E dashed in, carrying pieces of glass that he placed on the table in a neat line.

        After nodding politely at DUM-E, whom Tony was simultaneously impressed and peeved at for doing such a good job, Loki raised a hand and pointed it at a piece of glass. Tony flinched when he actually shot at the glass, though he had been expecting it. Loki flicked his head around, his hand still pointed at the table. Tony gave him a thumbs-up, and Loki turned back around, and blasted the remaining pieces of glass all in a row.  

        “Show-off,” Tony muttered good-naturedly, smiling. Loki took a lavish bow, and Tony laughed. It was so… Domestic. Well, in the only way that Tony could possibly be domestic, which is to blow things up in his living room.

        “Sir, Dr. Banner has arrived.” DUM-E whirled excitedly at the news, he had always liked Bruce. Loki, though, tensed enough that Tony could see it through the suit, and walked to the furthest point from the door in the room, and sat down.

        “Let him in,” Tony said, and walked over to the door after instructing DUM-E to find a broom.

        Tony smiled at Bruce when he came in, carrying a small leather suitcase, a long, silver case,  and a plastic bag that smelled of wondrous thai food. He placed them all carefully on the counter. Bruce reared back slightly when Tony took a step towards him, and Tony froze, feeling hurt for a moment before remembering that Bruce still thought they were switched.

        “Buddy,” He said, and Bruce gave him a questioning look. He opened his arms wide, smiling, “We’re switched back!” He said, huge grin on his face. Bruce’s eyes widened.

        “Really?” He asked, and Tony shrugged.

        “Well. Conditionally.” At Bruce’s confused look, he added,

        “We have to be nice to each other.” He said sotto voce, because that was more fun, and Bruce leaned over the counter and put his head in his hands.

        “Why can’t anything be normal with you?” He asked, then realizing the irony of his statement, he moaned. Tony patted his back comfortingly. “Where is he?” Bruce asked after he lifted his head up and looked around the room. Tony was briefly confused, you’re looking right at him?, before realizing that it really wasn’t that odd to come into a room and find both Iron Man and Tony.

        “He’s… in the suit.” Tony said, stepping away from the counter and possible injury.

        " _In the suit?_ ” Bruce said, his voice at a higher pitch than usual. Tony turned, checking for signs of green.

        “He’s non-hostile!” Tony said, walking over to Loki, whom he flicked in the head. “See? Totally friendly. Aren’t you, snookums?” He said, plopping into Loki’s lap because he could, and because he wanted to punish him for earlier. He received a flick to the side. _That’s gonna bruise._ He thought pitifully.

        Bruce just stared at them from across the room, horror and confusion plain on his face. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he shook his head and rubbed his face with his hands.

        “Why is he in the suit?” He asked, not looking at Tony. Tony paused, he couldn’t exactly say ‘because he tricked me,’ or, ‘I was seduced’.

        “Mutual curiosity,” Tony offered, which he supposed was truthful enough. Bruce looked up at him with pained expression. Tony could practically hear the gears turning in his brain.

        “I’m going to trust Jarvis to be the adult here.” He said, and Jarvis replied in a warm tone.

        “Of course, Dr. Banner.” He stared at the two on the couch, Tony still on Loki’s lap. He sighed heavily, lifting himself off the counter.

        “Look, I’m really tired, and I don’t want to know what this-” He motioned to the two of them “Is. I’m going to take a shower,” He said defeatedly, stalking away from them with his leather bag. He paused in the hallway, calling over his shoulder, “Before you do anything, think _Would Cap let me do this?_ ” Then he walked out. Tony smiled, it was probably good advice, which he was going to studiously ignore.

        Tony leaned back a little, letting his head rest against Loki’s shoulder. As much as it is a feat of engineering, the suits are not comfy to lie on. Tony squirmed for a moment before reaching up and pressing his fingers to a line against the suit and tapping out the letter ‘X’ in morse code. Gently, the suit rolled off of Loki, until Tony was sitting in Loki’s lap and the Iron Man suit was making its way into the lab.

        “You tricked me,” Tony said calmly. “I didn’t know you were so afraid of Bruce you needed my suit to guard you,” He said, and that hit a nerve because Loki honest-to-god growled in his ear. Tony laughed, a little flutter of a sound. “Had you just explained yourself, I would have understood. You didn’t need to… Fake seduce me.” He murmured. There was a beat of silence, then Loki’s lips were on his ears again, and Tony sucked in a breath.

        “What if I _wanted_ to?” He said, and suddenly there were arms around his waist and fingers sliding up his skin. Loki was running his lips down his neck, little flutters of sensation that lit Tony’s body on fire. Tony sucked in a breath, surprise coloring his cheeks in a flush. He was frozen for a moment, having no idea what to do.

        Loki pressed soft kisses into Tony’s neck, laving it with attention. He bit at the soft skin there, and Tony whimpered. People didn’t bite him. They just didn’t. But… Tony simply moaned when Loki bit and kissed his way down his neck to where it met his shoulder.

        Languorously, Tony arched into him, moaning when Loki’s dexterous hands found his nipples. Tony writhed above him for several moments, beginning to pant, before realizing, _what the fuck am I doing?_

        He jumped off of Loki, meaning to _stop this insanity right the fuck now,_ but was immediately tackled onto the adjacent couch. Tony stared up at Loki with wide eyes, breathing in quick little rabbit-breaths through his mouth. The emerald gaze above him was tinged with amusement, but his pupils were dilated so fully that there was only a thin band of green remaining, and Loki’s reddened lips were quirked into a smile.

        The God raked his fingers through his hair before running the same hand along Tony’s torso, inching towards his -- _oh my god_. Tony lost all care he had left for the fact that what he was doing was very wrong, and arched into the feeling. He whimpered again, because damn it, Loki was very deftly handling his cock, and _oh gods._

        He didn’t notice Loki leaning down until his lips were on his and oh. He was kissing a Norse God. While being jerked off by a Norse God. He moaned into the kiss which- damn him, Loki was definitely controlling, and Loki seemed encouraged by the verbal acknowledgement, because his pants were being pulled down now, and he shivered as his cock met the air.

        Quickly, Loki made a vague hand gesture, and suddenly Loki’s fingers were wet. Tony moaned when they touched him again, this time much slicker and easier to pull. _Magic is beautiful_ , Tony thought as Loki fondled his balls.

        Tony purposefully did not think too hard about what was going on, knowing if he did, it would surely dampen his enjoyment of it. Instead, he made soft noises as Loki kissed him, letting the God suck marks into his skin as he stroked him so perfectly.

        Their kissing grew sloppy on Tony's end as he neared his end, but Loki didn't seem to mind. He made his way back to Tony's neck, mixing pain with Tony's pleasure. Tony bucked into Loki's hand, and the God laughed, getting the idea and picking up the pace a little. Tony didn't know, and didn't want to know how Loki knew exactly how he liked to be touched. He was just going to enjoy it. _Not_ thinking about it was the key to enjoying this. As he neared completion, Loki's slender fingers slid down his cock slowly, and Tony whimpered, bucking into him, _L-lo_ , was all he could manage, and then the hand disappeared altogether, and Tony sobbed. He squeezed Loki's arm, his other hand in his long black hair. He panted, about to beg when the hand reappeared, this time slicker, and tracing his hole. Tony yelped, but didn't try to move away. Loki rewarded him by returning to his cock, picking up the pace until Tony was a mess, bucking and arching into him. He felt _alive!_ His body was a ocean of sensation, he could feel touch dancing up his body, and when he looked, found tendrils of magic. He felt like he was being touched _everywhere._ Enjoying, and being enjoyed.

        He babbled close, close, to Loki, shaking, he was almost there! The God hummed, his lips kissing and biting up his neck before tracing the shell of his ear with his nose. Tony whimpered. “Now,” was all Loki said, and Tony took it like the permission that it was, his body shuddering as he came, his mouth open in a silent scream as Loki continued to work him while kissing his neck. Tony squirmed as the sensation became too much, and the hand was obligingly lifted away. Tony felt himself be pulled up, and into the God’s lap, his body was like Jello, he collapsed into the God, face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. Petrichor.

        A hand was running over his back, tracing his spine, another was on his ass, just resting there. Tony let himself be pet, quite enjoyed it, in fact. He felt relaxed, something he hardly ever achieved. He ignored the little blaring warning sign in his brain in favor of enjoying the sensation. He settled further into Loki’s lap, and felt a tell-tale hardness press against him. His eyes flicked open, and he sat up, looking at the God beneath him.

        He looked deceptively calm, but his pupils were still blown wide. Tony rocked against him, and the God let out a puff of air, leaning forward a bit before composing himself. This time it was Tony who grinned devilishly, and after a moment’s hesitation, Loki returned the smile in kind, rocking against him once more. Pushing gently back against him, Tony leaned forward and kissed the God, who moaned and bucked into him once more. It was nice, being wanted.

        Slowly, Tony ran a hand down Loki’s chest, giving the man every opportunity to say stop, though he would be very surprised if he were to do so, and pressed his hand against Loki, who moaned raggedly into their kiss. Tony smiled, and pulled away for a moment.

        “Would you mind getting rid of those?” He asked, gesturing to the clothes, and one hand-wave later, they were gone, leaving the pair completely naked. Tony smiled, and started to stroke Loki. The God was already leaking Cowper’s fluid, hard and rocking against him with renewed urgency. It was startlingly sexy, and Tony was surprised.

        The God moaned when Tony picked up the pace, and Tony smiled. He could do Loki one better though. He lifted off of the God, who objected loudly, anger flooding his expression. He paused when Tony simply slid down to the floor and pushed Loki’s legs apart. Loki watched him carefully as Tony began kissing the inside of Loki’s thigh. He didn’t bite as Loki had, just gave gentle kisses until he reached his cock, which was standing proudly, waiting for attention. Tony looked up at Loki as he pressed a kiss to the tip.

        Moaning deeply, Loki slid a hand to Tony’s head, not pushing him, just holding. Tony smiled before taking the whole of him into his mouth. This wasn’t something he was extraordinarily practiced at, but it certainly wasn’t his first time, and it took him a moment to get into a rhythm, bobbing gently, pressing with his tongue. He had one hand under Loki’s leg, squeezing his ass, the other switched between stroking Loki’s cock, and his balls. He could feel Loki getting close before the God said anything, tiny thrusts into his mouth he couldn’t control, and the fine tremor running through his skin. He slid off when Loki warned him, sliding back onto his lap. The hand fell from his hair, and came to rest on his ass, and Tony moaned. That, in conjunction with Tony’s hand stroking him quickly, finished Loki, who cried out when he came, his nails digging into Tony’s ass and shoulder. They were still for a moment, panting. Loki’s lips were on Tony’s shoulder, and Tony nuzzled the raven hair that was presented to him. He had missed this, the closeness. Feeling someone against his skin. Loki bit Tony’s neck gently, and pressed a kiss to it. He made a hand gesture and Tony felt a cool sensation, and realized that Loki had cleaned them.

        Lazily, Loki leaned away from him, his head falling back against the couch. He was still holding Tony, and Tony watched as he relaxed, the God’s eyes closed. He wasn’t really sure what to do. He felt frozen, he wanted to rest against Loki, he had always liked to touch, especially after sex. However, he didn’t know what Loki wanted, so he sat there, frozen. Loki eventually opened his eyes, lazily regarding him through his lashes. The God opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Jarvis.

        “Sir, I would like to inform you that Bruce has finished his shower and appears to be coming this way.” That jolted them both awake, and there was an awkward scramble as they both stood up and away from each other. Tony heard the soft padding of Bruce’s feet, and Loki made a distressed noise before grabbing Tony’s arm.

        It occurred to him as he was flipped through space, that teleportation is much more fun if you are the magical person, and not the human. His head was spinning, and he had an unpleasant feeling deep in his stomach. He was standing though, something to be grateful for. He looked around and saw he was in an abandoned lab, the equipment was looted, hardly anything remained. The place had been turned over, probably more than once.

        He jumped when he felt clothes slide over his body, and he looked down to find himself in a black t-shirt and slacks that were too long for him. He looked at Loki, who was back in his ‘casual asgardian’ wear.

        “Where are we?” Tony asked, and Loki took a breath, looking around.

        “This was the lab I used,” He said, and Tony didn’t have to ask beyond that. Tony instinctively reached for his phone, and winced when he remembered he got here naked, and definitely wouldn’t have his phone.

        “You don’t happen to have a cell, do you?” Tony asked, and was pleasantly surprised when a sleek black phone appeared in Loki’s hand, and he tossed it to him. It wasn’t Stark tech, it was a Samsung, but it would work either way. He dialed the Tower, and was greeted with Jarvis’ calm tone.

        “Hello,” Was all he said. The number had been given to a very small number of people, a way to get in contact with the Avengers directly were something to happen and they needed to call.

        “Jay!” He said, forcefully cheery.

        “Mr. Stark,” Was Jarvis’ reply, which sounded relieved. “Dr. Banned is very concerned as to your whereabouts, as am I.”

        “I’m with Loki, everything is fine.” He said,

        “Bruce is asking that you return. Immediately.” Tony hesitated, looking at Loki, then at himself in the reflection of the glass of one of the cabinets. Loki might get away with it, but there were bites and bruises on Tony’s neck. When he didn’t respond, Jarvis added, “Or he will contact the rest of the Avengers.” Tony sighed,

        “Don’t let him do anything, we’ll be right back.” He said, then hung up and looked at Loki.

        “Fuck.” He said, and the God raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a way to,” He waved his fingers around his neck, miming magic. The God just stared at him, and Tony hesitated, because it always shocked him how _intense_ that gaze was. How Loki always looked like he was picking you apart.

        “It is your wish that I remove these marks?” Loki asked, and Tony paused. Was it? The obvious answer, the correct answer, was _Yes, you are an insane God who is my enemy and I do not want to have your bruises on my skin._ But… Tony lifted a hand to his neck, pushing against the bruises, and shivering in pleasure.

        He looked Loki in the eye, warring with himself. The God expressionlessly approached Tony, cornering him and placing a proprietary hand on his neck. Tony narrowed his eyes at him. Loki leaned in, kissing his forehead. Tony pushed him away. Or tried to. The man was made of marble when he felt like it, and silky skin when he didn’t. He couldn’t… think when he was so close. Like Loki was a siphon of rational thinking, or he radiated chaos. Which… He probably did.

        Their foreheads were pushed together then, and it was so stupidly domestic that Tony didn’t know what to do for a moment. He was being held by the man he had just had sex with, and it was fucking with him.

        “Do you want me to remove the marks?’ He was asked, again, this time in a whisper. Tony could feel the breath on his lips when Loki spoke. He was frozen. What did he want? Loki continued to nuzzle him while he thought, which really was _not_ helping. He didn’t want to remove them. Pepper would say it was because craved excitement. Something to _do_ , something to solve. And Loki was certainly an enigma. Bruce would say it’s because he recently went through a tough breakup and is craving intimacy, any kind he can get. He supposed Natasha could write a paper about why he was doing what he was doing, and it would tell him more about himself than he knew. He sometimes wished he had that, perhaps he would understand the God that was cradling him now. The one that threw him out a window, the one that _killed_ innocent people, the one that tried to take over Earth, the one that tried to _kill him_. He was much less concerned with why _he_ was doing what he was doing, than he was concerned with why _Loki_ was doing what he was doing.

        Because that was the million dollar question. Why would the God go from ‘you are a pitiful life form who is unworthy of my attention’  to, lets cuddle in abandoned laboratories, and have really amazing sex on your couch! Tony was frustrated beyond belief. It occurred to him that he should just ask.

        “What do you want?” He asked, painfully aware of how much he sounded like a high school girl. Loki pulled back slightly to look at him.

        “You may hide from your friends if you wish. This,” He said pressing a dry kiss to Tony’s lips, “will exist either way.” He said, and Tony thought that was startlingly decent of Loki. And he was immediately wary because of it. With a list of questions, he started with the most important one.

        “What is… this?” He asked, and Loki smiled. It thrilled Tony, running along his spine. He shivered, which made Loki’s smile turn to a smirk.

        “I take what I want, Tony.” And he sounded so spectacularly arrogant, but Tony had probably said the same thing at some point. So, it was just Loki doing whatever the fuck he wanted. He supposed that didn’t answer any of his questions, but he was just going to go with it. He had a God to fuck, one who was required to be good, and not hurt anyone. He wasn’t going to squander it by wasting time worrying about _why_ it was happening, or if it was a good idea. It felt good, so he was going to run with it.

        “The team is all going to show up in Malibu at some point, whether I want them to, or not. I think it’s for the best that they don’t know.” He said, and Loki nodded. “Though," He continued after a moment's consideration, "Is it possible to hide them without getting rid of them?” He asked, and Loki grinned devilishly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't ridiculous. Should I change the rating to M or E? I don't know. Ugh. Either way, thanks to anyone who commented or left Kudos so far, especially Laura and Sarah! You guys made my day, seriously.


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